“We’re going to live in a world where you can’t differentiate The Beatles from the AI Beatles”

Eight-time Grammy nominee Janelle Monáe has weighed in on the hot topic of AI in music tech and production.

In a new interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, the singer talks about its potential to disrupt the music industry on a large scale, and warns those opposed to it: “It’s not going away.”

“We’re going to live in a world where you can’t differentiate The Beatles from the AI Beatles from The Beach Boys,” says Monáe, who has previously gone by the ArchAndroid persona of Cindi Mayweather. “If they put it out and you hear it and you’re like ‘that’s really them.’”

Rapidly, the subject of AI has taken foothold in the forefront of many producers’ minds. In a recent survey, a massive 73 percent of producers said they thought AI music generators could replace them in some capacity.

But it’s not all bad news. In the same survey, only 17.3 percent of the 1,500 producers surveyed said they viewed AI in music production as a negative thing. A comparatively larger 34.8 percent actually saw the technology as a force for good, while the remainder stayed neutral on the matter.

“Some musicians and music producers are eager to see what further developments AI technology could bring, while others completely reject the possibility of adding AI tools into their workflow,” said BPB, the site which conducted the survey.

“Two major concerns are that using AI music software could produce an avalanche of unoriginal music and cause copyright issues. As for the latter, it all comes down to putting legislation in place to cover all bases and protect creators and musicians.”

Elsewhere, streaming platform Deezer recently announced its plans to “detect and delete” AI-made songs that mimic popular artists.

“We are at a pivotal moment in music. We need to make sure that AI is used in the right way, that it complies with the law and intellectual property rights and that artists get compensated fairly,” said Deezer CEO Jeronimo Folgueira.